A new snake that can hit the side with closed mouth discovered in West Africa

In case you do not find the snakes quite scary, the researchers discovered a new species of needle snakes with skulls and unusual venom delivery systems that allow them to attack and stab laterally with a hook on the corner of the the mouth.

Three specimens of the newly described Atractaspis branchi The Branch Stiletto Snake was discovered during recent surveys in northwestern Liberia and southeastern Guinea.

Although most of these burrowing snakes are not venomous enough to kill a human – even though some are capable of inflicting severe tissue necrosis – this unique, lateral behavior makes them unmanageable with the approach standard of keeping them behind the head. In fact, they can even stab their mouths shut.

First discovered sample of the newly described species (Atractaspis branchi or Branch Stiletto Snake) in its natural habitat. The snake lives in the primary rainforest and its edges located in the west of the forests of Upper Guinea. (Photo credit: Mark-Oliver Roedel)

The team of researchers, led by Dr. Mark-Oliver Roedel of the Berlin Museum of Natural History, Germany, collected the first specimen of this new species on the steep bank of a small rocky stream in an evergreen rainforest. in Liberia.

After raising it, the snake tried to hide his head under the body curls, bending it almost at right angles, so that his fangs were partially visible on the sides. Then he hit several times.

According to the researchers, the snake has also traveled distances almost as long as its entire body. The other two specimens used for the description of the species were collected from banana, cassava and coffee plantations in south-eastern Guinea, about 16 km apart.

The first specimen of the recently described stiletto snake was found at night, moving along the steep slope on the left bank of this small creek in a rainforest coniferous forest in Liberia. (Photo credit: Mark-Oliver Roedel)

The new species lives in the primary rainforests and edges of rainforest located in the western Upper Guinea forests. The Branch Stiletto Snake is most likely endemic to this region, a threatened biogeographic region already known for its unique and diverse wildlife.

The discovery, described in an article published in the journal open access Zoosystematics and Evolution provides further evidence of the status of the western part of the Haute Guinée forest area as a rich and endemic biodiversity center.

According to the researchers, "additional studies are needed to determine the range of the new species of snakes and collect more information about its ecological needs and biological properties."

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